South America Books

This is an excellent book for young children who are just beginning to learn about the world.

I have some students from South America every year. The United States doesn't seem to cover South America very well except for concetrating on wildlife in the Rainforests. This book does very nice to highlight that there is life of the human variety in addition to all that beautiful forest.

I have visited South Beach eight times in the past three years and found it very exicting. This book has helped me understand the beginnings of South Beach and the meaning behind Art Deco. Although I fell in love with South Beach at first sight this book makes me love it even more. The book was very well written and the illustrations were very nice. Now that I have read this book I would like to purchase more on South Beach. I hope to visit South Beach again soon and this book makes a good directory.

The book "South Beach" is a great read. It covers the death and rebirth of this phat ocean front town. After reading this book it made me want to learn more about Art Deco and how Art Deco made South Beach. I recently went to South Beach and had a blast. If you can't visit South Beach, reading this book will let you know how this exciting place came about.

While this book is listed as a childs book, it is also interesting for an adult, just a good all around book on South Dakota.

If you were expecting to find Mount Rushmore looking out at you from the cover of this volume of the America the Beautiful, Second Series devoted to South Dakota you were close, but there is a shot of the Badlands instead. However on the back cover there is a shot of the Mitchell Corn Palace to help put things into perspective. I play an Internet game that tests your knowledge on everything under the sun and several times I have come across a series of questions where you have to identify if something is from South Dakota, North Dakota or neither, and I feel 50 percent more qualified to tackle that section now that I have read Donna Walsh Shepherd's book. Her first chapter, "A Blessed Land," admits that "Home on the Range" is a song about South Dakota and covers everything everybody already knows about the state, which is an implicit promise to get beyond those items and cover much more.

Three chapters are devoted to the history of South Dakota, beginning with Chapter Two, "The Olden Days," which begins with the dinosaurs, covers the first European settlers arriving after the Louisiana Purchase, and ends with gold being discovered in the Black Hills. Chapter Three, "From Sioux Wars to Statehood," starts with the Battle of the Little Big Horn, Wounded Knee, and the founding of Deadwood, and ends with the story of why it is we think South Dakota is the fortieth state admitted to the Union, but are not really sure (it was admitted at the same time as North Dakota). Chapter Four, "The Century Turns," begins with the carving of Mount Rushmore and ends with a new battle for the Black Hills.

South Dakota is presented as a "Land of Infinite Variety" in Chapter Five, and notes the state is half way between the North Pole and the equator and halfway between Asia and Europe (ergo, the middle of everywhere). Tourists will find Chapter Six, "Traveling South Dakota," especially useful as it covers what there is to see in each section of the state. The politics of South Dakota is covered in Chapter Seven, "The Shape of Government," where lists all the state symbols from state flower (American pasqueflower) and state bird (ring-necked pheasant) to state fossil (triceratops) and state drink (milk).

The state's economy is the subject of Chapter Eight, which looks at "Cattle, Corn, and Computers." This is also the chapter with the recipe for this book and this time we learn how to make Deviled Walleye Fillets. Chapter Nine, "An Alliance of Friends," explains who are the South Dakotans and covers the educational system. Finally, Chapter Ten, "Having Fun, South Dakota, Style," looks at everything from hiking trails and Black Hills jewelry to famous sons of the state such as news anchor Tom Brokaw and artist Oscar Howe.

The back of the book includes a Timeline of U.S. and South Dakota state history, shown in parallel columns, and several pages of Fast Facts with key statistics. There are also lists of books, organizations and Internet sites where young students can go To Find Out More. This book has plenty of photographs and original maps, and lots of informative sidebars on interesting people (e.g., Sacagawea and Senator Tom Daschle), places (e.g., Badlands National Park, and the Wall Drugstore), and things (e.g., a plague of locusts and why farm prices rise and fall). As promised, albeit implicitly, Shepherd certainly expands our knowledge about the state of South Dakota.

DeLorme has done it again! Stellar mapping and attention to detail make this a grand publication. Two thumbs up!

I've used Delorme atlases without any problem on my excursions through other states, so I bought the South Dakota atlas last summer before my trip last September. As usual, everything in the atlas is clear and easy to read. My trip took me all across the state of South Dakota, including travel on many back roads. Not once did I wonder where I was or feel I was lost. These atlases are remarkable for their accuracy, and they have another winner with this one. Whether you've visiting the Black Hills, heading to Pierre, or want to get to Watertown, you can use any road confidently with this atlas. Highly recommended if you want to see any part of the state off I-90 or I-29!

Spain and the Independence of Colombia differentiates the independence of Colombia as a single state versus the numerous volumes that tend to clump all Latin American independence movements as a similar experience. It traces Spain's fatalistic history in Colombia, which leads to the conclusion of independence. While Simon Bolivar and the Andean independence movemnets are mentioned, she does not get carried away and shows the importance of Colombia to the crown in Madrid.

An excellent summary of the events that led to the independence of Colombia. I felt that the author covered an area of Colombian history left as an afterthought of the Spanish liberation in 1830. It was assumed that Bolivar and Santander had little resistance after Spain neglected its colonies. This proves that wrong and reinforces the ideas of War by Sun Tzu. It was the ability of the republican troops to effectively use intelligence to defeat the royalists. In her chapter on Battle of Boyaca, she brings this to light.

This marvelous and insightful immigration history represents cultural history at its finest, with brilliant thoughts on the broader issues of homeland, citizenship and national identity alongside detailed investigations of Polish, Irish, and Eastern European settlers. If only this book was published in paperback, so it would be more accessible in the classroom!

Jacobson's book is at once a painstaking review of original texts and a highly compelling read, no matter how long ago your family arrived. A must read for professional historians and anyone interested in American Studies and Cultural History

The author moved to the Galapagos Islands at the age of two and spent over thirty years exploring their natural wonders: Spectacular Galapagos is an oversized presentation pairing a natural history text with spectacular full-page color photos of the Galapagos creatures, blending a coffee table presentation with scientific facts. Highly recommended: Spectacular Galapagos is an astonishing visual wonder in and of itself.

I treasure the time I spent in Ecuadór's Galápagos Islands, "Las Islas Encantadas". Tui De Roy has managed to capture the essence of these wondrous islands as much as can be done photographically and make them accessible to everyone. A wonderful gift for those who love nature, or those who have been there.

For those who are going there, add Michael Jackson's book on the natural history, Paul Humann's book on the underwater and Barry Boyce's guide book. Tui De Roy's book will whet their appetite and serve as a vivid reminder after the trip is over.

This is the perfect book for an armchair traveller to Tanzania. It does a wonderful job of showing what the country has to offer, from culture to wildlife to history. The photos are stunning, the writing well-crafted.

This is *not*, however, a book I would choose to take with me when visiting the country. While it does provide some information on transportation and accomodations (mostly high-end), it is not geared towards the traveller 'on the ground.' Do buy this book and read it before you visit Tanzania, but take the Lonely Planet or a Rough Guide along for the trip.

I found it most informative of all books on Tanzania.

My name is MJ Weiskopf

This was such a great cook book. Wonderful unique dished and beautiful pictures. If you are looking for unique recipes this is a must! The stories behind the food are great too

I purchased this cookbook because of a growing interest in the cooking of Latin America. The authors cover in depth cooking from the regions where the Maya, Aztec, and Inca kingdoms once reigned. Their knowledge of the history and food culture of each region is evident. I have made recipes from all three sections, and although all dishes have come out well, I think that this book's strength is in the recipes from Peru and Chile. Pastel de Choclo (sort of a casserole of beef and corn) and Papas a la Huancaina (potato salad with cheese and chili dressing) were particular standouts. I have tried these recipes from other cookbooks, and this book's versions were the best.

Some specialty ingredients are needed, but many recipes can be prepared with basic ingredients from the supermarket, and the authors give suggestions for substitutions when possible (which I have sometimes used with successful results). Very helpful instructions are included for preparing some of the ingredients on your own at home.

i highly recommend this book on the subject of brazilian culture, brazilian religion, brazilian spiritism, and the spread of spiritism in latin america and the united states

This book provides a history and insight on the roots of Latin American spiritism. Its research on roots of Allen Kardec and the reason why French spiritism was brought to the "New World". It earns its place in the subjects of Latin American religion and ideology. Its cultural background of Brazil gives much insight to the ideological background of the Brazilian population. Even as a person of Caribbean background, I hold this book in regards to a part of my background ideologically. This book is an eye opener to the researcher interested in South American and Caribbean studies.